Of Body and Mind
by Kitryna
Summary: AU: It all started with a car wash. He saw her every Friday at 5:30 washing her car like clockwork. Simply from the tiny clues he was given from this activity, he created a perfect image of her. She had merely become the image on which he based his fantasies. Then, he met her and it did not quell his desire. If anything, he liked her more. Came for the body, stayed for the brain.
1. Chapter 1

_**Of body and mind**_

It all started with a car wash. Initially he had thought she seemed familiar, but he could not figure out how to save his life. He drove by her house on his way home from class, and every Friday at 5-5:30pm, when a shadow was cast across the driveway, she washed her car. She would be armored with only a spaghetti strap shirt and shorts that left little to the imagination. Her hair was always neatly pulled up into adorable pigtails. One large blue bucket, a couple of scrubbers, and a jug of soap always sat to the right of the car. She was clockwork. So, he came to expect her. Every once in a while he would drive by and she was not washing yet, instead he would spot her entering her house in eloquent business attire. So, he assumed that she would clean her car immediately after work every Friday.

He couldn't help it. He learned to admire the brief shows he got out of her. She was incredibly slender – almost to a fault – and yet still seemed to have a profound strength to her posture. Her hair, which seemed a dull blonde in the shade, glistened like gold in the sunlight. Oh, and she was not afraid to get dirty. He once saw her laying beneath her car only to emerge nearly covered in black all the way up her arms. Instead of being disgusted as any other girl her age and size would be, she emerged with a sense of pride. Accomplishment, perhaps. She was incredibly diligent. Since he first noticed this activity, he was sure she had never missed a Friday and neither did he. He looked forward to seeing her as he passed.

Honestly it was the only reason he had such remarkable attendance in his Friday classes as opposed to the rest of the week. He was often too lazy or simply did not care enough to force himself out of the comfort of his own home into the discomfort of classes. The only thing he liked about college was the people. People were interesting, which was perhaps why he did not mind so much that she was causing him to attend a Psychology class regularly. Without ever speaking to the girl, she managed to make him a better student. He did not know whether to curse the thought of her or thank her. Even his friends thought it was strange that he was consistently present at school on those days. Every other day of the week was a complete toss up, but they could count on him to be there every Friday.

Unfortunately, this was why they so often threw parties specifically on Fridays to try and bate him to come. What they did not realize was it was not school that he came for at all. He only went to school as the excuse to drive past her house, and since he was going all that way, he might as well attend class, right? It was not like he truly paid attention to everything going on. It was a three hour long class once a week. Nothing could keep his attention that long. The only thing he could think of that had the potential to occupy his mind for so long was her. Several times he had sat through the entire class wondering what color shorts she might wear that time. He would hope and pray they weren't those black shorts she wore occasionally. They didn't suit her. She looked better in color.

The entire three hours they spent discussing Chapter Four in the textbook he was in and out of paying attention. The topic was all about our perception of people and mostly focused on behavior. At any given point in time, recognizing the actions of a subject is an indispensable first step to social perception. It is also an involuntary action all humans commit when observing one another. We do not do it purposefully. You do not just decide one day that you don't like attached ear lobes so everyone with attached ear lobes must be complete assholes. On a daily basis we make judgments based on social clues without realizing it. At that point, he stopped listening as his mind took off with the idea. He pondered the image he had created of this girl without ever actually talking to her. He had made plenty of judgments about her character simply from what he witnessed during this one activity. She wore business jackets and fancy skirts when she came home; she was professional and had a nice job, which presumably paid well. She lived in a moderate sized house with a mediocre car, despite the high-paying job; she was frugal. Every week at the same time she would wash her car; she was a hard worker with respect for what she has earned. Grime and dirt did not seem to repel her; she did not mind getting her hands dirty. She wore her hair up in pigtails when she washed her car instead of a ponytail like the rest of women her age; she clung to her innocence.

One time he managed to catch a glimpse of the most delectable sight. She had been kneeling on the hood of her car scrubbing the roof with her legs spread and butt in the air. He could only assume she was reacting to hearing his motorcycle, because as he neared, she repositioned quickly. She sat down with her legs folded and scrubbed the windshield momentarily until he passed. In his mirror he saw her lift back up to scrub the roof again. So, she may have been wearing somewhat skimpy clothes for her carwash, but she had modesty. Her clothing choices were not for the benefit of others, but merely for efficiency.

Maybe it was a bad thing that he made all of these positive judgments about her without a healthy amount of negative in the equation. Though he did notice, the fact that her breasts were smaller than the usual women he ogled did not bother him at all. In fact, he seemed to like it. Her entire tiny body was a physical depiction of her modesty. She had curves, but they were not exaggerated like other women. So, even _that_ could not lower her score. He wondered if he would ever get the chance, or guts for that matter, to speak to her. He also wondered if he would treat her with a confirmation bias if that day ever came. He had built up this list of such beautiful traits that she appeared to have that he would probably see them in her whether they were true or not. At this point, she was more of a fantasy than a real person.

It almost put a bad taste in his mouth. He had always been a ladies man. Women flocked to him in the multitudes. This allowed him to be picky. He took pleasure in receiving so much attention and having the confidence of turning them down after a careful process of scoring their looks and personalities, but lately he could not give two shits about them. He no longer appreciated the attention. He was far too obsessed with this imaginary woman he had created from a stranger's image. None of them were _her_.

Nor would they ever be.

Then, there finally came the Friday that she was not there. Her car was present, but no dream girl to adore and fuel his fantasies. He wondered if perhaps she had already done it and retreated into the comfort of the house, but the driveway was not wet. There were no signs of any cleaning, not that her car looked particularly dirty. It was all incredibly disappointing. The thought crossed his mind to stop and wait for her, but he quickly scolded himself for being such a creep. It was bad enough that he practically went out of his way every day just to gaze upon the woman he had never said a word to nor knew he had been watching her for months, but to stop and wait for her? That was beyond disturbing. He might as well don a ball cap, sunglasses, and large binoculars at that point.

He scowled at how dirty it made him feel. Once he was done punishing himself for being insanely creepy, he wondered what would have possibly kept her from her routine. She had never missed a day before; she was reliable in that way. He only hoped that something bad had not happened. Something bad must have happened. It irritated him that he could not do anything about it. He did not know her. He could not just show up and ask if she's okay. How weird would that be? Answer the door only to be confronted with a stranger claiming, "Hey, I drive by every Friday and see you washing your car, why didn't you wash it today?" She would probably slam the door in his face. A creep like that did not deserve her precious time.

The following Friday, he considered staying home from school. The entire week he had wallowed in self-loathing. How could he be so bewitched by this person he had never spoken to that it turned him into practically a stalker? At least all he did was glance at her as he drove by, and he did not _really_ go out of his way to do that either. He went to class as he was expected to as a student, and coming home afterward just happened to coincide with when she was out there. But…he had seen her this way every Friday for the past few months and enjoyed it. There was no talking himself out of how creepy that was.

"Yo, Soul!" He blinked at the voiced ringing in his ear. He had been in such a daze that he did not even realize his phone rang and his hand habitually answered it.

"Sup?" He grunted into the phone absent-mindedly. The ability to create full intelligible sentences had not returned to him yet.

"Man, you should come early today! They're giving out free food in front of the activity center. We're all getting together early today for games and grub! 'Cept Tsubaki, o' course. She's at lunch or something with Maka." Soul just barely made out what the azure-haired maniac on the phone was shouting at him. There was an overwhelming amount of noise pouring through the speaker of his cell.

"Who the hell is Maka?" The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not place it just yet.

"I don't know, at work or something," he bellowed back.

"What? No, not where… Who, retard!" After a short moment of random shouting, none of which sounded like Black Star was at all paying attention, Soul decided to leave the subject behind. "Nevermind. I don't know, man, I don't feel up for school today."

"What?! But, you always come on Friday. Don't be a downer! We've got babes that'll cheer you up fast!" He finished with an insane cackled that he was known for.

"But, I don't—"

"Shut UP and obey your GOD!" With that, the phone went silent. It was a relief to Soul's screaming ear that had been subjected to the racket.

Soul sighed and brushed a hand lazily through his hair. Black Star would not let him live it down if he stayed home when things seemed so lively. Especially when he demanded so adamantly . Tch. It actually bothered Soul a bit to be obeying the order when his friend had the nerve to call himself a God. He didn't want to encourage that behavior, nor did he want to give Black Star the pleasure of practically controlling him, but he also did not want to deal with upset Black star afterward. So, Soul bit back his resentment and changed to go out. Even though he had class in a few hours, he ignored his backpack and books and walked out with merely his keys, wallet and clothes on his back. All in all, it was nothing too out of the ordinary.

* * *

The raven haired beauty held her cell phone nearly a foot away from her head as a roar of sound thundered out of it. The blond sitting across from her could not hold back her snicker. This was typical Black Star. She wondered if he would ever change. How Tsubaki put up with him for so long, she could never understand. Black Star was wild, rambunctious, and full of himself. Yet… yet she never spoke badly of him. She was always so happy to be by his side as if there was something that only she knew about him. A side to the wild child that only Tsubaki was privy to.

Maka was admittedly a little jealous. She had tried dating, but she never seemed to get along with anyone the way Tsubaki managed to with Black Star. Then again, Maka was not the type to simply bend to her partner's every whim. It worked for Tsubaki, but it would never work for Maka. She was far too stubborn and independent for men. Perhaps they were intimidated by her confidence. Maybe she pushed them away unintentionally. Either way, she did not need them.

In the end, all men were the same. Even if she found someone who cared for her looks and/or personality, he would lose interest eventually just like her Papa lost interest in her mother. To this day he still cries and denies it when she accuses him of not loving her mother, but Maka was convinced he only did it to earn respect from her. He just did not realize that he was doing it wrong. Continuing to see countless frivolous women was no way to prove one's love to her or her mother.

However, Black Star may have been boisterous and occasionally made lewd comments about tits or asses, but he had always been faithful to Tsubaki. They were one of those fairy tale stories that simply do not exist. It still baffled Maka that their relationship had been so smooth. It was Maka's sophomore year and Tsubaki's senior year in high school when she first started hanging around him, and Maka was certain that something terrible was going to happen. He was going to get carried away, or break her heart by losing interest and finding physical entertainment elsewhere. But, no. Though he displayed an appreciation for the female form from time to time, it always wound up coming back to how Tsubaki defeated them all. Even when he is on a rampage, Tsubaki was the one thing he could do no harm toward. In some chaotic way, those two just fit.

"B-ut, I—" Maka could only assume Black Star was interrupting her, because she could not get finish sentence before pausing. "I promised to – Black Star… I… I can try, but I don't think she… Yes, okay… We'll see."

"WE'LL SEE!?" buzzed that familiar voice, echoing throughout the quiet café.

"What does he want?" Maka prodded, but Tsubaki was too occupied with listening to Black Star boast about how much fun they were having to answer her.

Tsubaki smiled weakly. "Okay, I will try." At long last, Black Star gave his girlfriend a break and hung up. Maka had only gotten a vague gist of what had been going on from the shrilly shouting she could make out. Black Star wanted Tsubaki to go somewhere, likely to where he was, but she was reluctant because she had promised to have lunch with her best friend. Maka was touched that Tsubaki at least tried to resist his call for her. Ultimately, she was bound to crack under the enormous pressure that was Black Star.

Maka waited patiently and nibbled on her pastry as Tsubaki stored away her phone and prepared herself for delivering an explanation. "Maka…" Maka only nodded that she was listening as she went for another bite. "Would you like to accompany me to campus? Black Star and other friends are having a sort of early party and he wants us to come."

"You mean he wants you to come."

Tsubaki frowned at Maka's negativity, but she could not deny it. They were anything but enemies, but Black Star and Maka never truly made _friends_. "Please, Maka. I was really looking forward to spending time with you today. It would make me happy if you would come." She seemed so sincere, it was impossible for her to say no to that face. No wonder Black Star was so faithful. Imagining pain on that beautiful face was too much to bear.

"Fine..." she grumbled quietly before forcing a smile. "I'm off early today. Why not?"

Tsubaki's smile brightened, and it warmed Maka's heart like no one else could. It truly had been a while since they got to see one another.

They were fast friends after Tsubaki moved in from Japan, even though they were two years apart. Black Star was in Maka's class, but did not make many real friends to speak of for the longest time. The only person she had ever spotted him with was the slouching white-haired boy with a toothy grin. Maka recognized him as one of the popular kids that never associated with her, but that was about it.

It was not until that fateful day when Black Star was giving the same speech he occasionally forced everyone to hear at lunch. The adults at this point had given up trying to stop him. He did not harm much. It was a storm that was best to simply wait out. Everyone pretty much just ignored him and moved on with their lives. The first time he did it after Tsubaki arrived, though, he finally got the attention he desired. He was laughing maniacally when he heard the sound of feint clapping. When he gazed upon his audience, he found her smiling sweetly and clapping softly. Maka was not far behind, hanging her head almost shamefully. She had feared what horrible things might happen from Tsubaki giving Black Star positive attention.

It is only retrospect that Maka could really be proud of Tsubaki for what she had done that day. Such an attractive girl like her showing interest in someone like Black Star made him almost instantly seem more appealing to others. Gradually his friend group expanded, but his rowdiness did not change at all. Even after he graduated and enrolled in the same college that Tsubaki attended, he remained the same boisterous caricature. Of course, Maka had graduated a year early, so she did could not account for a year of his behavior.

It was only through resisting Black Star's nonsense that Maka managed to maintain such good grades and land such a great job. She only needed a few more classes in order to graduate, which she attended on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. She was grateful that her job allowed her to take time away for school like that. They actually encouraged her to finish her degree while she worked, though they did not require it. They had chosen her for the outstanding recommendations they had received for her. She only worked there for five months and she had already been promoted. Part of her felt like she should regret being so busy all the time, but she liked it. If only it did not keep her from seeing her best friend.

Maka blinked out of her daydream when Tsubaki threw cash in the middle of the table and took a final sip from her drink. "We should go now. Black Star won't be happy if we show up too late."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thank you for the reviews and favorites so far! I hope you continue to enjoy this story.~**

* * *

Soul's head fell roughly against the back of his chair as he slouched. After an hour and a half he decided he would not be able to sit through class after all. He had only been there for maybe thirty minutes before he was already exhausted. Black Star managed to gather all of their usual friends plus some for the little get together. It was crazy to think that this all started with free food. They had apparently collected the free barbeque and gathered in the game room. Other students promptly complained about the noise and the food they had brought in, deserving them a fat boot out of the door. So, instead they were occupying the plaza before the library. Black Star quickly determined that this spot was better, because it allowed other students to notice and join in on the fun. People were shouting, laughing, and singing to the over-cranked boom box like drunk teenagers. Soul was just grateful they did not actually have alcohol.

He was in no mood for this type of music. It was booming 'wub-wub' dance music that his trained ears simply could not appreciate in such a foul mood. At least he no longer had to listen to Black Star insisting he get up and socialize. He usually was much more social, but today he simply did not feel up to it. He was still struggling with a decision he made on his way to campus.

He felt like a creep for watching her the way he did, even if it was just in passing. Even if she was the type of girl that would give him the time of day, it was not like he would ever actually get the chance. He had briefly considered stopping by one Friday and striking up conversation, but how weird would that be? No, he had thought about this enough. It was time he gave it up. A girl like her would never be into a guy like him anyway. Starting next week he would take a different route to and from school, at least until the semester was over and going home from class on Fridays didn't align with her routine. It was time to cut himself off. It was time to get back to the usual Soul.

Soul slid back upward in his seat, trying to feign confidence with his posture. Folding his arms behind his head, he leaned back and simply listened to the noise around him. Black Star really did do a good job of creating a mini-party in the middle of the day and in the middle of campus. It was miraculous, really, his power to cultivate people. Sometimes he was so ridiculous, Soul did not understand why people gave him any attention at all, or why Tsubaki blindly followed him. Gorgeous as she was, she was too timid for Soul's taste.

Just as Tsubaki came and went from Soul's thoughts, Black Star bellowed her name at the top of his lungs. Others quieted for a moment out of surprise before returning to their conversations like nothing had happened. It was a normal occurrence, after all. If Tsubaki had not already been glued to his side, he made sure to announce her arrival with all his might. It was almost cute. Almost.

Lazily, Soul cracked an eye open to glance over at his friend. Black Star was scratching the back of his head and recanted loudly to his girlfriend the events that had occurred thus far while she compliantly listened with her ever-sweet smile. That azure-haired demon then greeted the lean girl standing beside Tsubaki with a punch to the shoulder. Any other woman would have cried or screamed at him for being so rough with them, but this girl smiled and punched him back. It was actually shocking how far back he stumbled from the hit. The corner of Soul's mouth twitched upward at the sight. Ha. Black Star getting beaten by a girl would be a sight to see, but… he was tired.

A glisten of gold dancing off of the slender girl's hair was the last thing he saw before his eyes rolled shut again. That gold… the same gold he had seen a few times when _she_ stepped into the sunlight while—Soul's eyes snapped opened and he nearly fell out of his chair. Here he was being broody about the girl he would never see outside of her driveway as he drove by, and there she stood…chatting with his best friend like they knew each other.

It was her, he was sure of it. She had the same adorable little frame. She was still wearing her work clothes – a white button-up blouse and hip-hugging pen-striped skirt. Her hair was the same, though not pulled up like he usually saw it. It was down, draping about her shoulders like sheets of gold. She was laughing, something he had never seen on her before. He had seen a slight smile a few times as he passed, but this was different. She _glowed_.

Soul was on his feet before he realized it. He struggled over a few steps to smooth out his composure. It would not be cool to walk up and make a total fool of himself. He needed to compose himself like usual. Taking a deep breath and stuffing his hands in his pockets, he strode toward his friend.

Go fucking figure that just as soon as he is spotted out of his chair of gloom and broodiness, someone decides to pester him again. A sickeningly cheerful girl with a scratchy voice grabbed his shoulder and grinned what she must have thought was seductively. "Soooul. Dance with me! You promised me last time that you would!"

His brow knitted. He would never have made any sort of promise to a girl like her. That voice made his ears bleed. Even so, it did not matter. He had somewhere to be, and it was not with her. "If you don't want to lose that hand," he sneered, "remove it from my body."

The girl pouted falsely. "Aw, Soulie. Don't be that way."

"His eyes shut in pure disbelief of what he just heard. "Did…did you seriously just call me Soulie?"

"Should I not? What do you want me to call you then, handsome?" Sweet God, he just wanted her to stop talking. For the moment Black Star was still chatting with the girls, but it was only a matter of time before he moved on to mingle with the crowd. When that happened Soul's opportunity to implant himself in their conversation would be gone.

He had no more patience with this girl. With a grunt, he pushed her arm away and continued on his way.

"PAAHAHAHAHA YOU REMEMBER THAT?! Of course you do! I am a God, after all." Black Star shouted his greatness as the two girls giggled at his ridiculousness.

"You never change, Black Star," came her smooth melodic voice. So, she knew him. All this time he had been wallowing in self-pity wanting to meet her and his own damned best friend fucking knew her.

"Oh. You came early today. Was it Black Star?" Tsubaki questioned him knowingly. Having been forced into attending herself, she knew her boyfriend was bound to have hounded Soul into joining as well.

Soul's voice was caught in his throat, trapped behind a knot that came out of nowhere. The girl was looking at him. Her impossibly green eyes were staring right at him, eating through his mind. So, instead of speaking, he grunted lowly and nodded his head once. It was in Soul's favor that Black Star was too occupied laughing about his awesomeness to a group of girls to notice Soul's mini breakdown. Tsubaki seemed to notice, though. He saw her glance once at the girl next to her then analyze him curiously. Soul tried to harden his expressions to hide how awkward he felt.

"Ah, you remember Maka don't you?" Rather forcefully, Tsubaki grabbed the Maka-girl's wrist and forced her to stepped forward. She made an expression of pain, but did not complain. Noted.

Now forced to stand directly in front of him, Maka held out her hand cordially. "It's nice to see you again, Soul," she stated almost flatly. Was that a hint of attitude he heard? And, wait. Again? And, how the hell did she know his name? He wondered how in the world she could possibly have known him before, and to give him attitude like that, though it was veiled.

Soul gave her hand a shrewd glance before finally accepting it with his own. It was nauseating how well her small hand fit within his own. Her fingers were cool to the touch, making him want to linger simply to warm her, but lest the length of time in which he held her hand became creepy, he quickly let it go.

A scrutinizing stare lingered on him for a moment before she turned to Tsubaki. "I think I should be heading home soon. I have things to take care of.

_Like washing your car_. He wanted to say it, but knew it would be taken wrong. He would be announcing himself as the creep he was.

The girls traded hugs and caring goodbyes before she finally turned away. It was only then, when he was stuck watching her walk away that he realized his biggest mistake. He had not said a single word to her… or around her for that matter. It made him sick. He wished he could leave his body just to punch himself square in the face.

"What was that about?" Tsubaki's voice chimed, interrupting his self-loathing thoughts.

"What was what?"

"You didn't even say hi to her. Do you not remember her?"

The thought weighed on his mind. She seemed to remember him and Tsubaki seemed to think he should remember her, but who in the hell was she? "How should I?" he questioned aloud.

"She was in your grade in High School," Tsubaki answered matter-of-factly.

Soul was stunned. He was wracking his brain with every ounce of energy he had left trying to figure the puzzle out. "I don't remember anyone who wasn't at the after graduation party," he added dumbly.

"Maka graduated a year early, actually. When you were juniors."

Maka… Tsubaki called her Maka… The name barely rang a bell, but from the deepest corners of his mind. The corner where irrelevant information was thrown to never be trudged up again. He had to struggle to force it to the front. There was one Maka he vaguely remembered from High School. He only ever saw her in passing. She wasn't anything note-worthy. She was quiet and held on to her books like they were people. She appeared timid at first glance, but everyone knew she was not to be reckoned with. One cross word and she would destroy the offender. Oh, and she could do no wrong. She had a reputation for being a teacher's pet. But, that couldn't be her. That girl was dull. Her skin was pale and hair…

Soul gaped as it hit him. "_That_'s Maka?"

Tsubaki chuckled amusedly at Soul's apparent shock.

The realization that his fantasy girl happened to be the _Maka the violent bookworm_ from High School did not quell his infatuation. In fact, it pretty much made it worse. He found even more respect for her. Not only was she the hot woman that influenced him to attend school more regularly, but she was smart and had spunk. What little he remembered of the girl from High School was mostly about her ferocity. She was no force to be trifled with. For a book worm with an incredibly miniscule social group, she had a lot of confidence. She was not afraid to punch the shit out of someone for talking bad about her either. It was admirable when he thought about it. Even back then he respected her enough to simply leave her alone. Some of the other popular kids, on the other hand, loved to talk trash about her and other 'losers'. Soul was never too interested in such conversations. It was more fun to tease people to their faces than behind their back, so he did not see the point in spreading stupid rumors. Even still, he was not about to approach her and admit having respect for her. It seemed silly now, but his status as one of the cool kids was more important to him at the time.

Now he regretted it profusely. Go figure she would grow up to be perfect just to taunt him for neglecting her before. It was karma, perhaps, that he should be so infatuated with her now after allowing his friends to make her High School life miserable. Maybe that was why she graduated early and got the hell away from them. Likely not… She was a bookworm after all. She was smart; it was more likely that she simply did not feel public school as necessary anymore. She needed a bigger challenge most likely.

He had to stop this. That or he had to actually grow the balls to approach her. How he would do that was the question. He never saw her on campus, except today of course. He had considered asking Tsubaki about her, but he did not want to be so obvious. Were Black Star to hear he was fawning over the nerd, Soul would never live it down. He might even do something stupid like say something to her. After all, Soul did not know how close he and Maka were. Surely they were not _that_ close, but Black Star was not too discriminate about friends. For him it was more about loyalty and strength. That was something Soul admired about him at least.

"Something wrong, Soul?" Tsubaki's voice sounded like a wake-up call.

Soul blinked out of his thoughts. "Huh?...No." Then, a thought occurred to him. A crazy thought. So crazy it might work. "Oi, Black Star!" he shouted toward his friend who was in the process of shouting at a couple of bystanders that complained about the racket they were making with his fists firmly planted on his hips.

His shouting came to a halt as he peaked over his shoulder at his friend with a grin. "Sup, bro?" The kids he was shouting at quickly made their escape while hew as distracted.

"You still want to ride my bike?"

Black Star's jaw dropped. In no time at all, he was standing before Soul wide-eyed. "**Really?**"

Soul smirked cheekily. Black Star was too easy. "Yeah. Just for today. I'll give you my keys and you give me yours. We'll trade back tomorrow." The sunlight flashed in his eyes as Black Star's car keys were whipped out at the speed of light. Soul chuckled through his smirk as they traded. "Where did you park?"

"The usual. You?"

"The usual."

The two exchanged grins.

* * *

After escaping her rather awkward appearance at Black Star's spontaneous party on campus, Maka busied herself with errands. First, she went to the bank to transfer funds before she ultimately went to the grocery store. Seeing Tsubaki today was supposed to have been a celebration for the promotion she recently received at work, but since it was cut short by Black Star, Maka felt the need to celebrate on her own. So, she gathered all of her favorite foods at the store and planned for hours of baking and cooking. She might even be up all night, considering the amounts of sweets she intended on making. It may seem a little crazy, but she was simply looking for an escape.

Her life was happy enough. She was successful and proud of it. Her life was together, for the most part. She would be lying, though, if she said that she thought her life was complete. There was admittedly something very lacking. She wondered sometimes if she was simply lonely. Everything was work and studying. Work and study. Every day. Every night. Every morning. She barely got to see Tsubaki anymore. Sure, she had other friends, but it was not like she had much time for them either. Her only free time was Sunday and by then she just wanted to rest.

Maybe she should get a roommate. She had a spare room, after all. At the moment it was simply filled with her extra things she neither knew what to do with nor wanted to throw away.

Maka pulled into the driveway around her usual time: 5:25. Go figure she would get off early and end up at home at the same time as ever. Well, washing her car like usual shouldn't take long. She had nearly perfected the art. Since she kept it so clean already, it typically did not require too much attention. A quick scrub down and rinse was all that was necessary.

So, she did her usual. The moment she was in the door and her groceries were set away in the appropriate compartments, she carried out the usual. Her keys were deposited in the bowl next to the door and her heels kicked off and tucked away in the corner. In the closet near the entrance she retrieved the bucket full of supplies and her change of clothes. She did not always keep them there, but she got tired of going all the way to her room just to head right back out the door. So, she kept her car-washing clothes in the closet with all her other car-washing supplies. This was the advantage to living alone. She was able to strip to her underwear outside of the privacy of her own room without anyone seeing her.

Now changed and nearly ready to head out, Maka grabbed a couple hair ties from the same bowl her keys were thrown in and pulled her hair out of her way in the usual style. With that, she was out the door, bucket in tow.

The pattern was simple. She set the bucket down by the car, removed the scrubbers and bottle of soap, poured a bit of soap in the bucket, and then went for the water hose. First, she would fill the bucket to mix the soap with water, and then spray down the car for an initial rinse. Only then would she finally pick up a dark blue scrubber and get to work.

It was only when she was rinsing the soap off of her car that something new entered the equation. Her head lifted curiously when a car suddenly pulled up into her short driveway behind her own. It looked familiar at first. It looked a lot like the car that Tsubaki had shown up in a couple of times. That thought brought a smile to Maka's lips as she imagined her best friend coming to visit her. Maybe she could convince her to stay the night! She was going to make so many sweets, there was no way she could possibly eat them by herself.

Her smile faded when a mess of white hair emerged from the opening driver's side door. She recognized it immediately. That was neither Tsubaki or Black Star. It was _Soul_… The jerk whom was above saying hello to her. He was still wearing the same wrinkled button-up shirt with the top button unfastened that he had on earlier. It was annoyingly distracting.

Maka was too busy staring incredulously at him to say anything. She could not imagine why in the world he would come all the way to her house, or how he even knew where she lived. Unless Tsubaki told him and he was here to apologize. Let's hope it was just that.

"How much?" His voice was smooth, though deep and rumbling. She hated how nice it sounded.

"W-what?"

"For the car wash," he added coolly.

"What? No, this isn't a car wash!"

"You're washing your car, aren't you?" He was already aggravating.

"Well, yes, but-"

He cut her off, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. "I'll give you twenty bucks." He pretended to thumb through bills.

Maka gawked at him. "You want me to wash your car for twenty bucks? Why don't you just go to an actual car wash? They're cheaper."

His lips curled in one corner, "All the car washes are too far out of my way. You, on the other hand, are directly on my way home."

"So, why don't you wash it yourself?"

"Lazy," he answered simply. He then rolled his eyes and pulled several bills out of his wallet before stuffing it back into his pocket. "Well?"

She stared at him for a moment. He had spoken a bit gruffly, but when he was no longer talking she was allowed the chance to closer analyze his expressions. There was something note-worthy about them. He smirked cockily, but everything else about him seemed somehow…gentle. He was gazing at her with a warmth she was not accustomed to receiving. Consequently, she had no idea what to think of it.

"Fine." The woman yanked the cash from his hand and stuffed it quickly into her back pocket. Lifting the hose, she jerked her head to the side. "Gonna move, or did you want a shower too?"

Maka was sure she heard him snort before he walked around her to get out of her way. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he leaned against the side of her car and waited for her to begin. She considered very briefly reminding him that hers was still dripping wet, but the comic relief she would get from his shirt being soaked by the time he left was too great. Instead, she pulled back the lever on the hose that let the water rush out and hosed down his car quickly.

She could feel his eyes on her as she walked past him to get her bucket and scrub brushes, but every time she looked at him he was focusing intently on the flowers that lined her driveway. The more she scrubbed the car, the more she wondered if it was his car at all. It looked exactly like Black Star's. She did not remember the license plate number perfectly, but this one did sound vaguely familiar. It became her mission to discount the theory. She had to find something that did not seem so much like Black Star…

She had nearly finished. She scrubbed all around the car, rinsed it twice, and returned to scrub the windshield when she noticed it. Hanging from the rear-view mirror was an origami flower. It was the same kind that Tsubaki's name meant. She recognized it at first sight. She remembered Tsubaki talking about it. Black Star made it for her. Supposedly he sprayed it with her perfume to prove to her that it, like she, was not scent-less. There was no explanation for Soul having the exact same type of car, a similar license plate, _and_ a tsubaki hanging from the rear-view mirror. Not unless he was obsessed with them, but she did not take him as _that_ creepy.

It still begged the question of why in the world he would show up at her house and make her wash Black Star's car saying it was his own. What motivation could he possibly have in doing so? Men never went out of their way to see her due to romantic interest, so that was not even a possibility in her mind. There had to be something up his sleeve.

"Hey, Maka?" Her head perked up from staring through the windshield. Much to her surprise, and great relief, he was not actually looking that way and did not see her staring at the origami flower.

"Hm?" She continued scrubbing.

"Why didn't we hang out in High School?"

Her scrubbing ceased as she looked up at the snowy haired man leaning on her car and staring intently at the row of flowers. "You really don't remember?"

Brow cocked, he looked over his shoulder at her. "What is there to remember?"

Maka fell silent. It kind of stung. Emotions she had long since repressed pressed against her chest and complicated her breathing. Truth be told, they _had_ been friends in the past. In fact, they went to elementary together and he was her _only_ friend. That is, until his parents withdrew him from public school to put him in a private school for musicians. When he left he promised her he'd come back. 'We're partners, remember?' he told her. 'Partners in crime' was the phrase they used. She had faith in him. Foolish, childish, naïve faith. When the day finally came that he returned to their school, he was a different person. At least, to her he was. She tried saying hi to him, but he brushed her off like any other person. His parents had never been too fond of their friendship, so she had convinced herself he was only doing it to please them. She was able to forgive him for that… It was not his fault. But, this… He genuinely forgot about her. It had been years since the heartbreak she felt from losing him as a friend, but here it was again. It resurfaced like as lap in the face. It was inevitable, she supposed. He was, after all, a man.

He was staring at her, waiting for an answer. Maka did not grant it. Speedily, she finished scrubbing the windshield. Then, with one last rinse and Maka walked away to shut off the hose. When she came back to collect the brushes and dump out the bucket, Soul was still standing there.

"Done?" He stood up straight, stretching his arms as if she had taken so long he became stiff.

Maka cocked a brow at him. "Yeah. Thanks for drying my car for me."

"Huh?" The space between his brows crinkled in confusion as he turned to look at her car. It gave her the perfect view of his wet back. She couldn't help it…she giggled when she saw it. As if knowing where she was looking without looking back at her, he reached back and touched his shirt. "Oh… No big."

She was still chuckling when he turned to face her again. She saw the hint of a sincere smile dance across his lips before he forced a cool smirk. "I guess I should head out then. See ya next Friday." He waved a single hand before walking to the car and climbing in.

Her heart felt torn in two as he drove away. One the one hand, he was the jerk that forgot about her after promising to return to her. On the other… She had to admit that it did make him seem a little less horrible that he had simply forgotten rather than purposefully ignoring her without an explanation. Surely if his parents were keeping him from her he would have at least told her before turning his back on her. The Soul she knew as a kid was too kind, too faithful. It made her ache with regret for hating him for neglecting her. It was a good five years before he returned to public school, after all. They were only in 3rd grade when he made the promise. It would be unreasonable for her to hold a grudge for something so silly.

It was time to let go. In spite of everything, this was a new opportunity. It was a second chance at befriending him.

Turning toward the pile of brushes again, Maka pulled out the wad of cash she had stuffed in her back pocket. Unfolding it, she was immediately left in shock. Three twenties and a ten. Did he just pull cash out without considering how much he was giving her? The wash he gave Black Star's car wasn't worth five bucks, let alone seventy!

Next week he was going to come back… What was she supposed to do with herself? She couldn't accept money from him again if the car wash was his excuse.

* * *

Just as he said he would, Soul pulled up into her driveway the following Friday. She only seemed slightly surprised to see him this time, though it was a far cry away from what he wanted to see. The first time he pulled up she had smiled happily at him up until he got out of the car. It was strange, but he did not question it too much.

Black Star had been all too willing to trade vehicles with him again. For some reason the little runt loved the hell out of Soul's motorcycle. Or maybe it was simply because he had always been denied touching it before.

"Hey," he mumbled as he climbed out of the car and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, you're saying hi to me now? That's new." She grinned cheekily and waved the nozzle of the hose to signal him to move out of her way.

She was teasing him, but it was filled with truth and he recognized it. It was true, at the party last week he not only did not say hello to her, but neglected to speak to her at all. Still, she wrapped the accusation in playful sarcasm and he appreciated it.

"Yeah, sorry about that… I said hi to you when I came by, though, didn't I?"

Maka cocked a brow at him. It was beautiful the way her nose crinkled. "I distinctly remember you immediately propositioning me about washing the car. No greeting."

"Did I?" She nodded with a faint roll of her eyes. "Ah, well. Hey, welcome to the party. Glad you could make it." He waved a hand to one side as if gesturing to a crowd. Then, he leaned on his shoulder against the car window. "Hey Maka, I know this is spontaneous and random, but would you wash my car?" Her name tasted sweet on his tongue. It was nice to say it aloud. The past week he had been repeating it in his head. Finally he had a name to associate with the fantasy.

The ashen-blond chuckled heartily as he made up for lost greetings. It warmed his heart to hear her laugh. A smile suited her far better than a scowl.

"Okay, okay. Get out of the way already."

Smirking sharply, Soul pushed himself off of the car and stepped to the side. Her eyes watched him carefully as he walked around her. This time, he did not lean against her car, but stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited nearby.

It was actually rather nice getting to stand there while she worked. He didn't even stare. Instead, he focused his attention on the clouds, searching for shapes as he listened to her hum some melody he didn't recognize. Whatever it was, it was off-key. It just had to be. How could someone with such a sweet and melodic voice be so terrible at singing a tune?

She was finished far too soon. He was still trying to figure out what it was she was trying to hum and deciding what a particular cloud looked like when she called out that she was finished. "Alright. See ya next Friday, then."

"I won't be here," she announced flatly. She said it like it was nothing, but from Soul's perspective it was anything but. She was _always_ washing her car at the same time every week. She had only missed one day in the past four months. It was an outstanding record.

He hesitated for a moment. "You're always here on Friday."

She gave him a look. It was brief, but it made him feel like she saw him in that moment the way he had been feeling: like a creep. "Yeah…but I won't be next Friday. Why don't you come Thursday instead?"

That was more agreeable. At least she wasn't changing the time when she washed her car to avoid him. "Why won't you be here Friday?"

"That's none of your business," she added matter-of-factly as she dumped out her bucket into the grass.

"Fine. Thursday, then." There was no use pressuring her to answer him. She made a very valid point.

"Hey, Soul?"

He paused in mid-stride toward the car. "Yeah, Maka?"

She smiled innocently. Or, was it deviously? "Will you be coming on your bike or Black Star's car?"

Soul froze in place. He was caught. Damn it, he should have known she would recognize the car.

"The bike," he sighed and climbed in the car. Maka was looking through the windshield at him with a clever smirk.

She had won this time.


End file.
